The Hero Dies in This One
by HEATHY3kdancer
Summary: I guess that’s what happens when you let the Ice Prince’s heart thaw a little bit. He lets down his defenses, only to get hurt by the one he wanted to save.
1. Prologue: This Is My Story

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N: **I apologize for such a short prologue, the chapters will hopefully be much longer than this. You will find out the speaker and the listener during the story (chapter 10-ish on my calendar) as well as what she's talking about. If the beginning or any part of this seems like FFX(Final Fantasy 10), that's because I wrote almost the whole thing with the prologue song stuck in my head.

*Dedicated to the incredibly cute Elissa, my beta.*

            The room was starch white, rid of any human emotion that might have once been held there. The only color at all was the vivid red hair of a petite fifth year girl. 

            "Sit down. Thank you very much for coming. I guess you want to know why I asked you here, don't you? Well actually, the reason is quite interesting. Well no, not really, but it is quite long, and relatively important for you to know. I guess I'll have to start from the beginning." the girl heaved a big sigh and continued. "The beginning. Always a great place to start, don't you think? Especially in this story, because of, well . . . you'll find out in the end. It all started in my lack of confidence. 

            "Sometimes I think I'm the epitome of average. 

            "It's the worst feeling in the world, knowing you're nothing but ordinary. Ordinary friends, ordinary grades, ordinary talent at Quidditch, you name it, it's something ordinary about me. 

            "I guess the only thing extraordinary thing about me is my family. My family is anything but ordinary: my dad is the nutcase, my mom is the sweetheart, Bill is the cool one, Charlie is the daring one, Percy is the smart one, Fred and George are the goofballs, and Ron, well Ron is the best friend of Harry Potter. 

            "And I'm just Ginny. Ginny Weasley, 'The Youngest Weasley', 'The Weasley Girl', That Short Redhead', 'Ron's sister', 'Oh, isn't she the one that got possessed by You-Know-Who?'. Just Ginny. Little Ginny Weasley with a crush on Harry Potter.

            "Oh my goodness, that stupid crush. Thinking back on it, I'm _still_ embarrassed. How could I have wasted all my time on him like that? I never thought he would ever like me. And in 3rd year, I gave up on him. Michael Corner asked me out and I said yes, hoping it would help me get over him. 

            "And I guess it worked, because I dated Michael for about a year, and then went out with Dean for a bit, but in the back of my mind, I always dreamt about what it would have been like to have Harry Potter like me. It certainly would have made me something special. 

            "I guess you could say Michael and Dean were like my drugs. Taken to dull the pain I felt with my feelings for Harry, but could never really take them away. And of course, like drugs, after a while the pain relief goes away and the drug doesn't work anymore. Which was what happened with Harry. 

            "And then Draco came. So arrogant. So sarcastic. So hauntingly beautiful. His eyes belying his age.

            "They came into my life in such a way I couldn't imagine. Two polar opposites-one so dark, the other so fair, one a hero, another a villain. One Gryffindor, one Slytherin. Or so I thought. They taught me about life's hardships, about destiny, about love, and about myself. They taught me that life wasn't all black and white. Or good vs. evil. That there was always a gray area in between.

            "When I was in fifth year, my life changed forever. I fell in love. No, this isn't some sappy love story, it's just a fact. I fell in love with two very different boys. Or perhaps two boys that were very alike. Too bad it only takes two to tango.

            "This is my story. We don't have much time left now. It's a story about love, pain, suffering, and how much your one completely ordinary life can change by befriending two exceptional boys. It's not just my story, but Harry's and Draco's too. And yours. Only you don't know how or why yet . . ."

**

Well, that's it for now! I hope everyone liked it, and remember to review. Compliment me, criticize me, flame me, let me now what you think! ^_^


	2. Chapter 1: A Prophecy of Jewels

**Disclaimer: This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended. The following characters also do not _truly belong to me because I stole them from good friends of mine. They are: Angelique (the loffly Emileigh), Bekka (the cute Karmen), Hope (the skanky Elissa), and Carla (Lauren who is quite silly)._**

**A/N: This chapter was incredibly difficult to write and I apologize for such a late update. The next few chapters will come out much faster for many reasons: 1.) Field Hockey is over, 2.)  The next chapters will have more character building and less dialogue, and 3.) I have already started the next chapter and am almost halfway done.**

_For Elissa (The skanky beta), Samantha(the girl with no stomach), and Mea(who gave me a really sweet review, is a talent writer, and e-mailed me to tell me I was too slow on updating, making me work faster)._

*******__

_He was lying on the floor of the dungeon, crumpled on his back, his fair hair splayed over his face and matted blood on his shirt. He was clearly knocked out from the last spell.  
_  
_A tall man cloaked in black knelt beside the boy, an oddly a kind gesture considering he was the one who knocked the boy out. "Enervate," he whispered. The boy made no movement to react to the spell. The elder man drew back his foot and kicked the youth in the ribs. "Do you give up?" he asked, sneering.  
_  
_"One more time." answered the boy, in a stronger voice than he felt.  
_  
_"Why do you defy me, boy?" asked the blonde man. "The Dark Lord accepts only the best at taking orders. Do you not wish to serve my master?"  
_  
_"Of course I do, Father." replied the boy silkily. "But wouldn't you have another go, if you were me? I only wish to be an admirable servant to the Dark Lord." _

  
_"Admirable intentions, boy.__ What year is he now, Lucius?" asked a new voice. It was unnaturally high but undoubtedly a man's.  
_  
_Both the man and the boy jumped and looked at the newcomer. He was tall and thin, with a pale face and scarlet eyes, his long fingers twirling his wand. "He is to begin his 6th year at the start of September, My Lord." said the man, bowing deeply to his master and kissing the hem of his robes.  
_  
_"Excellent. I am sure he will make an excellent servant to me, will you not, my boy?"  
_  
_"Of course, My Lord." said the boy, bowing his head.   
_  
_"I am here to warn you of something of great importance, Lucius. My seer gave me a cryptic warning that involves your son. I have transferred the memory into this glass. I trust you will dispose of it when you are finished." The Dark Lord hand the bottle to the man. "And another thing," he said, opening his palm and showing a glittering chain and a white sparkling pendant, too pretty to be real, "Have your son wear this always, as it will be crucial to the fate my dear Lucia predicted. I trust we will be seeing each other soon, Lucius." the man vanished as silently as he arrived.   
_  
_"Stand back Draco." said the older man. The boy obliged, noting the glass warily as his elder opened it.  
_  
_A cloud of smoke erupted from the bottle and a miniature figure of a pretty young woman with raven black hair emerged.  
_  
"The fate of the world is in the hands of four children, born on the witches Sabbaths. The emerald, the diamond, the ruby, and the amethyst. A spell will unite them, while a sickness will divide them. And the three surviving will bond together and form a new rule to avenge the lost - "  
  
_"Sirius!"_

_  
***_

_  
_Ginny awoke with a start. Harry was having nightmares again. It was always the same one, and it always interrupted her dreams, which seemed to be significant. She couldn't quite recall who the people were though. A boy and his father. And The Dark Lord. Yes. Tom's disgraced older self was most definitely there. And there was a prophecy. "The world is in the kids' hands born on witches Sabbaths. Emeralds, diamonds, rubies, and amethysts. They will rule together except the sick one." Or something like that, Ginny couldn't remember now.  
  
She sighed and rolled onto her side to grab her dream journal. She hadn't really wanted to start a dream journal, but when her dreams about that boy and his father continued every night, she couldn't really help but think that these dreams were important. Scribbling down the more important points of her dream, Ginny listened to hear if Harry was still having his nightmare.  
  
The Weasley's had been at home at the Burrow for almost a month now, which was fine by Ginny, because she had? always hated 12 Grimmauld place anyway. Why, it had _Grim_ right in it's name! And who wanted to stay in a dirty old house with the stench of death hidden within its walls? Certainly not Ginny, that's for sure.  
  
She rolled on her back, crossing her arms across her chest, her usual position for sleep. The true reason for their return to the Burrow was Harry. They knew that 12 Grimmauld Place was not a place where Harry could return. Especially with his reoccurring nightmares about Sirius's death.  
  
Sirius's death plagued Harry's thoughts and took over him like a numbing sensation in his brain, taking over everything that was once wonderful. He barely talked to anyone anymore, not even Ron and Hermione. He only talked to Ginny because Dumbledore told him to, which Ginny still didn't understand, why did he have to talk to her and not his best friends? There was obviously something going on that she didn't know about. This was strengthened further on the day Harry arrived. Harry and Ginny had met with Dumbledore and were given the strangest pendants. Harry's with an emerald and Ginny's with a ruby. They had been instructed to wear them at all times.  
  
Ginny instinctively stroked her pendant. She had grown accustomed to the cool, smooth weight on her neck. Closing her eyes, her thoughts drifted to what her summer could have been like.  
  
She had been invited to her friend Kyle's beach house in Ireland for a week with her friends, but being stuck at the Order of the Phoenix Headquarters, she was unable to go. Evidently it turned out that at the end of the week, a bunch of sixth years(i.e. Dean, Seamus, Lavender, and Parvati) came to visit. Evidently, Dean was seeing Lavender, making a relationship between Ginny and him pretty hard to accomplish.  
  
Which was fine, Ginny supposed, because she never really liked Dean anyway. But Ireland was so beautiful. And she hadn't been to the beach for over 3 years . . . And she missed her best friends.  
  
Carla was the popular one. She was the one everyone wanted to be friends with, that had memorized every copy of Teen Witch Weekly, and was somewhat forgetful, and well, for a the lack of a better word, ditzy.  
  
Hope was the beautiful one. She was the one who always looked just right, as though she had planned every last detail in her entrances, who created potions to make herself look even more beautiful, and had the unfortunate habit of doing things that lacked common sense(like counting her change in the middle of the road at Hogsmeade).   
  
Angelique was the trustworthy one. She was the prefect, the tutor, the one you always went to for advice. But though she was the intellect, she often stressed out before exams, so you had to watch out when she got nervous.  
  
Bekka was the girl-next-door. She was pretty and petite, and clever in her own right. She was the quiet mysterious one, more interested in books than in boys. She was afraid of her parents, extremely shy, and deathly afraid of not being a strong person.  
  
Kyle, Zeb, and Dave were Ginny's guy friends. Kyle was dating Carla and Dave was dating Hope, both boys were fascinated with swords, and were skilled at fighting. Zeb was more quiet, he was a prefect along side Angelique and dreamt of becoming Cornelius Fudge's successor as Minister of Magic.  
  
A knock on the door interrupted Ginny's thoughts. "Ginny? Are you awake?" asked a familiar voice.  
  
"Sure, let me open the door." Ginny said, getting to her feet. The floor was cold, sending shivers down her back.  
  
"Ginny." She looked up at a tall, thin boy with ink black hair and sapphire blue eyes. _'No, it can't be him.'_ Ginny thought, her heart contracting at the sight of the man who once made her life hell. _'He's gone now. He can't hurt my anymore. Not anymore . . .'  _"Erm . . . Ginny?" She blinked. Now his eyes were green and framed with glasses. How odd.  
  
"Oh Harry," said Ginny, mentally shaking herself. "Come in." she walked towards her bed, climbed on top of it, and kneeled on it with her elbows on her knees, staring at Harry with pensive tiredness. "You had another nightmare."  
  
"So did you." Harry replied. He sat down on the bed next to Ginny. "Sometimes I wonder _why_? I mean, out of the millions of people in the world, why me?" He sighed, and looked up at the ceiling as if it beheld all the answers.  
  
"Because you're a hero, Harry. As much as you don't want to be, you are. And I know it's a burden and it's not fair, but Harry, life isn't fair. The best thing you can do is to move on, and hope one day you'll get the chance to avenge Sirius. And your parents." Ginny whispered, looking deep into the pools of emerald that were Harry's eyes.  
  
"Why do you say things like that? I'm not a hero, I'm not even a good person. I'd kill Voldemort if I got the chance, and you know I would Ginny. Would a hero do that? Could a hero do that and be _glad_? Gods, I'd do anything to avenge every single person he's killed. _Anything_, as long as they were okay. I _can't_ move on, Gin, because I don't know where I can move on _to_." his voice was strained, his eyes betraying his emotions.  
  
Ginny could feel her heart breaking into little pieces. "_Harry_, if you're not a good person, neither am I, because I'd kill Lucius Malfoy if I got the chance. But everyone feels that way, it doesn't make them bad people though, Harry. Especially you, because you have every right to hate You-Know-Who, and want to kill him. Killing him is your destiny, and even heroes kill sometimes." Ginny expelled her breath, near tears. "Killing Voldemort, wanting to kill Voldemort, doesn't make you a bad person. You could never be a bad person, ever. I promise."  
  
"_If only you knew you could keep your promise_." Harry said, getting to his feet. "How do you know I couldn't be a bad person?" Ginny's mouth formed a small 'oh' of surprise and her eyes widened as she got to her feet. "Ginny," Harry whispered, grabbing her hands. "You are such a wonderful person, but it kills me when you say these things. You see what I should be, what you want me to be, but not who I really am. Sometimes I think if everyone knew the real me, they would hate me."  
  
"Harry, I don't understand." Ginny whispered, tears threatening to spill from her eyes.  
  
"You're so important to me, Ginny." Harry looked at Ginny with quiet desperation. Ginny noted his slow, quiet breathing and his pained green eyes. They were so close . . . too close . . .

Well, I hope you liked it! Remember to review! ^_^


	3. Painful Mistakes

**Disclaimer:** This story is based on characters and situations created and owned by JK Rowling, various publishers including but not limited to Bloomsbury Books, Scholastic Books and Raincoast Books, and Warner Bros., Inc. No money is being made and no copyright or trademark infringement is intended.

**A/N: Well . . . at least this update is earlier than usual . . . ^_^. This chapter is a continuation of Chapter 1 (or the prologue), so don't be confused as to why Ginny is now surrounded by a bunch of reporters(as opposed to talking with Harry), because at the end of this story, the two plots will merge.**

_For Elissa (my ever-so-lovely beta), Karmen (who is a sneaky little liar), and Emmsy (who is going to __Germany__ soon and I'll miss her very much)._

_**_

_And his voice is at once that of the ever-hypocritical lover trying to soften the cruelty of his desertion, and that of the hero who looks, weary and detached, over the scene where he is obliged to kill, cheat, travel, desert, and, finally, to be killed. _

_-Roberto Calasso_

_**_

            The young reporter stared at the girl inquisitively. She could not have been much older than he, and yet here she spoke, looking small and frail in a hospital gown, with vivid crimson hair and dark chocolate eyes, speaking of things beyond her age.

            "Miss Weasley?" he asked, interrupting the girl's train of thought.  "Sorry, miss. I was wondering, why is it our story?"

            The girl surveyed him with much interest. "Well," she started slowly. "That is a very good question. Why is it any of your business what happened two nights ago? The answer is simple, even if it isn't that probable: the media has the right to know. The public has the right to know. They have the right to know the whole story, to make their own opinions on it, and to learn from our triumphs . . . and mistakes."

            Receiving a probing look from the girl, the man opened his mouth to ask a follow-up question, looked at the girl's far off expression, and thought better of it.

            "You are wondering what mistakes I am talking about." whispered the girl, reading the young man's mind. The room was so quiet by this point that her voice carried throughout the room and all eyes were on her. "The kind of mistakes that kill one of your best friends, and end two others, two that you love with all your heart, in such a state that requires the expert medical attention of St. Mungo's. And even then, their lives are not guaranteed.

            "I am incredibly lucky to be alive right now and talking to you. I urge you to listen to what I say, and to keep all your questions to the end, for this is a very long story, and I only want to tell it once."

            The girl smiled morosely, studying the plethora of notebooks and cameras around her. Last summer, she would have killed for this chance, to be able to say whatever she wished and have everyone listen to her, but now she felt merely saddened that she was obligated to tell such a tale to the world. '_But they would have done it for you.'_  This thought was the only reason she went through with this whole scheme. She wanted to be alone, alone with the wounds she had created for herself, and for her friends.

            "I'm sure you're all wondering, 'Is this just some other scheme that that crazy Harry Potter thought up for more media attention?'" she grinned at her audience sheepishly, knowing she was correct. "And my answer to that is: of course not. If you want to blame last Tuesday's events on someone, blame them on me. Because I was the one that got us into this mess, and I'm the one who does not deserve to be here. I'm the one that should be dead.

            "The next question is, 'well then, why isn't she dead?'. Well, he saved me. Draco, that is. Which is why he's at St. Mungo's. I guess that's what happens when you let the Ice Prince's heart thaw a little bit. He lets down his defenses, only to get hurt by the one he wanted to save.

            "Of course, enough reminiscing. No one wants to here that. I know some of you want to here about my relationships." She said, nodding towards the magazine reporters. "While others can't wait to here about the action." She said, nodding towards the newspaper reporters. "But, in order to get to the good stuff, you're going to have to trek through the bad stuff too.

            Ginny exhaled a long, slow breath, collecting her thoughts as to how she should go about what she needed to say. "So, how many people in here know who Tom Riddle is?"

**

A wildly huge thanks to everyone who has reviewed thus far. Reviews not only make my day, but remind me to hurry up and keep writing, because cliffhangers are awfully annoying things. Thus, a HUGE thanks to: 

**Cherise**** (Cyn)- who is pretty much good at everything, and you should check out her story ASAP.**

 **potential psychotic**- whom I don't know personally but whom I've been in correspondence with and would like to say: not so much "StillVeryEvilMuwhahaha!Draco**" **as  "NotVeryRedeemedAndLovesPowerMoreThanMorality!Draco", in other words, Draco wants the power behind . . . argh, can't give too much away yet. :-P

**Aubrey (Foible)- Thanks for your review as well, "You'll Never Know" is really quite beautiful, and deserves all the praise it gets and more.**

**Green Fairy of Doom- hurrah for criticism, because it was very nice and constructive criticism. I agree with you though, it was very much like an info dump . . . maybe some day I'll fix it . . . ^_^**

**Katerinarose24- no . . . that was Harry's scream interrupting the prophecy . . . don't worry, you'll find out who she is _someday._**

**KitKat**, **Samantha, ****Karamel**** Karrot(Karmen), ****Elissa, ****x0firefly0x, **Jake** (who didn't actually review the _story_, but he's on my review board so . . . ), and ****Em.**

I hope you like it thus far, and remember to read and review!


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